Friday, January 6, 2017

I'm so flattered to tell all my readers that the StarTalk social
media team invited me, for the third year in a row, to "guest-host"
their Twitter account during Bill Nye's show on Friday, January 22nd.
Joining me for fun across multiple social media platforms will be the
über-cool host of The STEMulus, aerospace engineer and Satellite Launch Superstar Stephanie Evans!

StarTalk, from Curved Light Productions, is the first (and still only) popular commercial radio/television broadcast devoted to space exploration, the search for life in the universe, and cosmology -- and they make these subjects accessible to listeners of all ages with facts, humor, and celebrities.

If you are not a regular StarTalk listener... um, who are you and what are you doing on my blog?? No seriously, if you're new to the show, you can brush up on the format and fun by seeing their greatest hits on their YouTube channeloriTunes.

There is one episode where Neil deGrasse Tyson had a conversation with GOD. Make time.

Engineer, Emmy-winning TV host, and owner of 400+ bow ties, Bill Nye is also the CEO of The Planetary Society. It will be our distinct pleasure to put all our Nye-rich knowledge into describing the show on Thursday night at the historic Curran Theatre in San Francisco.

If you live in or near the SF Bay Area, you can purchase tickets to come live-tweet with us, or follow along with all the sciency comedy from home by following the social media hashtag #StarTalkLive.

As with last year, we will give away one prize on the night of the show, and mail one prize to a lucky online tweeter who joins us So join the tweetstorm and help us boost the science signal! You could grab one of these hot 2017 Year In Space Calendars, designed by artist Steve Cariddi!

Sunday, January 1, 2017

With a newly elected president, and the possibility of a new NASA administrator, many space enthusiasts and especially those in the aerospace industry are reasonably wondering, what will the future hold?

In years past, I have spent Decembers on space calendar giveaways, top missions of the year, and various awards, then created a post in January to discuss space goals, agency changes, and what the new year might bring.

I just as meticulously documented results, and was never shy about listing his promises and researching them exhaustively, nor did I ever fail to mention when promises were stalled, compromised upon, or downright broken.

While I may be asking these questions a bit earlier than before, it is because the administration itself has changed for the first time since I've begun writing about the nation's civil space policy. Any change in command at the highest level could well mean significant changes to many portions of the space agency, not the least of which is a new leader for the agency itself.

The short list includes GW Space Policy Institute Director Scott Pace, former astronaut Colonel Eileen Collins, and Oklahoma Representative Jim Bridenstine -- author of the Space Renaissance Act. Top priorities, as always, are listed as Moon, Mars, and Commercial Space. However, these tend to be the "sexy spotlights," when in fact NASA's $18+ billion is spread broadly among many major categories that contribute to successful industries both in space and across the globe.

Here are the major categories of the NASA budget.
What will a Trump presidency mean to things like climate change research, Earth sciences, Green efforts, or even planetary science? We know many of these categories have been in the "pork" list for conservatives for many cycles. Will a budget for Mars glory mean gutting the long term plans for the habitability for our own planet?

We can likely count on many Senators in the 10 states with major NASA centers to fight for the jobs inside their borders, and the crucial work that fuels technology and spinoffs from space research; what we do not know is how well they will fare against blatantly partisan attempts to cater to myths that science is untrustworthy, or that science cares about elections, imaginary lines on maps, or whether Floridians just voted to imagine climate change does not exist when sea life is flooding into Miami parking garages.